Trump to Holt: Russia Ties 'Made Up' Story by Dems

In an exclusive interview with NBC's Lester Holt, President Donald Trump said that when he decided to fire former FBI director James Comey, he said to himself: "You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story. It's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won."
Trump fired FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday, setting off a wave of backlash that has included Democratic calls for a special prosecutor in the investigation. (Published Thursday, May 11, 2017)

Despite what President Donald Trump told Lester Holt Thursday, a current and a former FBI official close to James Comey told NBC News that the former director did not seek a dinner with the president to retain his job.

The two sources said the White House had requested the meeting, which happened at the White House a few days after Trump took office.

The former official added that Comey would have never told Trump he was not under investigation, which also contradicts what the president said in the interview.

"The president is not correct," said the former official, who, along with the current officials, were not named in the NBC News report.

WH: Trump Asking About Russia Probe Not Conflict of Interest

White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday said it was not a conflict of interest for President Donald Trump to ask former FBI director James Comey about the Russia investigation. The FBI will continue its investigation on possible ties between the Trump administration and Russia despite Comey's dismissal.